Month: March 1999

“The record labels say, ‘You’ve got a ton of crap!’ And they’re right — we have a ton of crap.”

MP3.com CEO Michael Robertson, whose recent $11 million financing round has given him a shit-eating grin, at a panel on the file format that’s supposed to change the music industry at the SXSW Interactive festival in Austin, Texas, 16 March 1999

“I read all the email that employees send me, and I pass items on to people for action.”

Microsoft chief evasive officer Bill Gates, refuting his oft-forgetful videotaped testimony in an upcoming book, News.com, 15 March 1999

“In the year 2000, you’re not going to be a futurist anymore. You’re going to be a presentist.”

Once-and-futurist Douglas Rushkoff, on how his industry is preparing for the Y2K problem, in a speech at the SXSW Interactive Festival, 14 March 1999

“This is just like any other business. People come back not just because it’s the cheapest, but also because they trust you.”

Buy.com board member and former PepsiCo CEO Don Kendall, whom we’d love to see in the same room as Kevin Kelly, Fortune, 29 March 1999 (issue date)

“During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.”

Vice President and Wannabe-Geek-in-Chief Al Gore, switching credit packets on the fly to offer up a version of Net history that’s not quite a digit-for-digit copy, CNN, 09 March 1999